Campaign Kicks off August 29 with Stuff the Bus

United Way of Champaign County is stuffing an MTD Bus again this year to kick-off their 2012 fundraising campaign. The Stuff the Bus campaign will provide an avenue for caring community members and businesses to collect needed items from our wish list. This initiative is also intended to bring awareness to the kick-off of the fall campaign and to encourage community members to pick up an extra item or two when they are out shopping and provide a little hope for others in the community who just can’t make ends meet.

Starting Wednesday, August 22 through Wednesday, August 29th, community members & business are collecting items and there are many community drop-off sites to place your items in. United Way is also hosting a MTD Bus all day on Wednesday, August 29th that will travel the CU area picking up all the donations collected from individuals and area businesses.

Public drop off locations in Champaign County (August 23-29):

Busey Bank Locations in Champaign County

Carle Clinic Locations

City of Urbana Building

Commerce Bank

County Market Stores

Rogards Office Products

Rantoul (locations include Rantoul First Bank, Rantoul Busey Bank, Village of Rantoul, Rantoul Library, Recreation Department, Credit Union One and Community Service Center of NCC)

5:00-7:00p.m. Jupiter’s at the Crossing (2511 Village Green Pl., Champaign)

New this year, we have 6 local businesses who have adopted items from our wish list. Each of these companies will be solely collected the adopted item by their employees, families and friends and have identified the items as a critical need for this community.

Carle Hospital/Carle Foundation adopted Diapers

United Way Board of Directors adopted Bus Tokens

Rogards Office Products adopted Copy Paper

The News-Gazette adopted Copy Papber

Busey Bank adopted Toothpaste/Toothbrushes

Chambanamoms.com adopted Crayons

University of Illinois Research Park adopted Flash Drives

All of the items collected will help all 37 of our partnering agencies who would be spending their already limited discretionary funds on items that are required for doing business every day. Many of the items are given directly to the clients they are serving as well. This is just one way United Way of Champaign County can help bring people and resources together in the community to provide some of life’s necessities.

A few examples of how Stuff the Bus impacted our partnering agencies last year:

SmileHealthy estimated a value of almost $2,000 worth of items for their programs or enough to help 100 families with the dental supplies they need for 3 months.

Times Center reported that the soap, shampoo and paper towels would last them most of the year for the clients they are serving. They also had enough toilet paper to last them 3 months.

The Center For Women In Transition was able to provide many necessities to the women and children they serve freeing up their limited resources that they could then use for other critical needs. “The outpour of generosity from the community is overwhelming. A warehouse full of donations is a reflection of the strength of our community.”